Balancing game

ABSTRACT

A game played by two or more persons, wherein the object of the game is to place weights on a flat balanced board without tipping over the board. The flat board is preferably balanced on three support members which are positioned within a prescribed area in a container. The container has a bottom and four sides, so that the players are not able to view the positions of the support members.

United States Patent Gorman [451 July 11, 1972 [54] BALANCING GAME [72] Inventor: John R. Gorman, 398 W. River Roa Orange, Conn. 06477 22 Filed: Nov. 5, 1969 211 Appl.No.: 874,356

[52] U.S. C]. ..273/l R, 273/136 R [51] Int. Cl. ..A63f 3/00 [58] FieldofSearch ..273/l, 131, I32, l33, 139,

[ 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3, l 88,089 6/1965 Odell et a1 ..273/l R X 3,402,929 9/1968 Glass et al. ,...273/l R 3,471,147 10/1969 Glass et al. ..273/l R Primary ExaminerAnton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Paul E. Shapiro Attorney-Delio and Montgomery 57 ABSTRACT A game played by two or more persons, wherein the object of the game is to place weights on a flat balanced board without tipping over the board. The flat board is preferably balanced on three support members which are positioned within a prescribed area in a container. The container has a bottom and four sides, so that the players are not able to view the positions of the support members.

13 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUL 1 1 I972 BALANCING GAME The present invention relates to a game and in particular, it relates to a game that is played by two or more persons, wherein the object of the game is to maintain a flat board balanced on support members while weights are placed upon its top surface.

There are a number of games played by adults and children wherein the enjoyment of the game arises from trying to guess the other players strategies in playing the game. An excellent example of such, is a game of cards and, in particular, complicated card games such as bridge. One consideration in such a game is the cards the players are dealt. However, the most challenging aspect of such a game is in guessing the quality of the other players cards, as well as their strategies in playing their cards. The person with the most skill in out-guessing the other players strategies usually wins the game.

While there are moderately complicated games, such as Monopoly, as well as very complicated games, such as bridge, chess, etc., there are as yet very few simple games utilizing the above principles.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new, simple but extremely challenging game.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new, simple but challenging game utilizing the principle of balance.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new game, wherein one of the objects of the game is to guess the possible moves of an opponent and to block these moves.

The above objects are accomplished by a game which is played by two or more players, wherein the main object of the players is to place weights on the board while keeping the board balanced on support members. The game comprises a container without a top side and, preferably, having a square cross-section in a horizontal plane passing through the container. Preferably, three pins or support members are arranged in a desired manner on the bottom surface of the container and a flat board is balanced on the support member. The top surface of the board is divided into a plurality of sections of different colors. There may be any number of different weights which may be used by the players, such as onehalf ounce, 1 ounce and 2 ounce weights. The player who balances the flat board on the pin members then places a weight in one of the sections so that the board is maintained in balance. The next player then places any weight he desires in another section on the top surface of the flat board, basing his move on his opinion as to the location of the support members. By dividing the board into a plurality of sections and coloring adjacent sections with different colors, it is possible to increase the complexity of the game. Thus, it can be provided that a player cannot place a weight in an unoccupied section having the same color as that played on by the preceding player.

Points are determined by the size of the weight placed on the board, as well as the points given to a particular section. Further, it may be provided that the player who places a weight which tips the board loses his points and that the first player who reaches a predetermined number of points wins the game.

The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this application. The invention, however, both as to its operation and organization, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be appreciated by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the game of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the container, wherein the playing board is located during the playing of the game; and

FIG. 4 is another type of support member which may be used with the game of this invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 3, the game of the present invention comprises a container having four sides 12 and a bottom 14. In the bottom surface 14 of the container there is drawn a circle 16, preferably having a radius of two to 5 inches, wherein support members 18 are positioned. The support members 18 each have a flat base member 20 and an elongated portion ending in a pointed top 22. The game may be played with one or two support members 18, as will be explained hereinbelow. Preferably, three support members 18 are used to support board 24. If more than three pin members 18 are used, the board is too well supported, in which case the board will be difficult to tip over or unbalance and the challenge of the game correspondingly decreases. The circle 16 is used to limit the positioning of support members 18. It is desired to limit the possible positioning of members 18 by the players with certain considerations in mind. The positioning of the members 18 cannot be so restricted that the board is unbalanced by placing thereon only one or two weights 26. The players must have the opportunity of accomplishing a large number of careful moves before the board is unbalanced. On the other hand, however, the support members 18 must not be allowed to be so positioned that it would be very difficult to unbalance the board 24. With this in mind, the game is preferably played by requiring the first player to position members 18 in the circle 16 in any position he desires, as exemplified by FIG. 3. Only the first player is allowed to know the position of members 18. Board 24 is flat and has a crosssectional area smaller than that of container 10, so that it may be unbalanced therein. Preferably, it has a thickness of onesixteenth to one-fourth of an inch and weighs about 4 to 8 ounces. There are provided for the players any series of weights, i.e., preferably, one-half ounce weights 28, 1 ounce weights 30, and 2 ounce weights 32. A lesser or greater variety of weights may be provided. It has been determined, however, that three types of weights in the above weight range, provide the players with a sufficient choice of weights to place on the board without unduly increasing the expense of manufacturing the game by providing a very large range of standardized weights. If only one type of weight is provided, then the number of moves which can be made is unnecessarily limited.

Another manner in which the game can be made even more challenging, is by the use of a color scheme on the playing surface 34 of the board 24. The playing surface 34 is preferably divided into inner annular area 36, intermediate annular area 38, and outer annular area 40. These annular areas are sub-divided into a series of inner sections 42, intermediate sections 44 and external sections 46 by means of radial lines emanating from the center point of the board. By this means, four inner sections 42 are formed in annular area 36, 12 intermediate sections 44 are formed in annular area 38, and 12 external sections 46 are formed in annular area 40. The four remaining corner sections 47 form additional playing sections. The central area 48 is a non-playing area, that is, an area on which a weight may not be applied and has thereon a handle member 50. The handle member 50 is used to pick up board 24 after it has been unbalanced so as to rebalance the board on support members 18. It must be emphasized that the above-described partitioning of the board surface 34 is a preferable form, which enhances the enjoyment of the game. Other suitable partitions of the board surface, into different sections, may also be used. In playing the game, a player may place any of his weights on any part of an unoccupied section. The next player may then place any one of his set of weights on any unoccupied section. To further enhance the complexity and interest of the game, the sections shown in FIG. 1 are colored in accordance with the preferred color scheme, discussed below. In this color scheme, preferably only four different colors are used. In accordance with this color scheme, a player may not place a weight in an unoccupied section having the same color as that on which the previous player placed a weight. If less than four colors are used, the players choices of sections are unduly limited while, if more than four colors are used, the player's choice of unoccupied sections is too great.

In the preferred embodiment, the colors are black (B), red (R), blue (BL) and yellow (Y). The inner sections 42 in annu- Iar area 36 are colored alternately yellow and blue. The intermediate sections 44 of annular area 38 are colored alternately red and black. The external sections 46 of annular area 40 are alternately colored yellow, blue, red and black. Sections 46 are colored such that they do not have the same colors as sections 44 directly in front of them. The comer sections 47 are colored alternately yellow and blue. All of the sections are colored such that each section has a different color than that of the section adjacent to it.

The rules for playing the game are as follows: The first player who is chosen by lot, arranges pin members 18 in circle 16 in any desired position. He then places board 24 thereon without the other players observing his actions. The first player then places a weight in any one of inner sections 42 so as to maintain board 24 in balance. He computes his score by multiplying the value of the weight (one-half ounce, etc.) by the value given to the section (1, 2, 3 or 4, as indicated in F IG. 1). Before placing a weight on a section, a player must point clearly to the section. Further, the weight must be placed so that it does not touch a boundary line between sections. If it does touch a line, the weight is left where it is but the player receives no points for that move.

The second player does not know the positions of the members 18 but guesses at these positions by the location of the weight placed by the first player. The second player then places one of his weights on any unoccupied section that is colored differently from the section played by the first player, so as to obtain as many points as possible while maintaining the board on balance. Further, he may play defensively, by placing his weight so that the next player cannot place a weight on a section which will give him a large number of points. It can also be appreciated that when a weight is placed on one side of the board 24 away from handle member 50, such weight will tend to counterbalance any weight placed on the opposite side of the board so as to maintain the board in balance. Further, the selection of weights presents to the player the problem of how much weight a particular section can support without upsetting the balance of the board. The game is continued until all the weights have been used or until a player places a weight which unbalances the board. The player who unbalances the board loses all the points he has accumulated during a particular round of play.

The second player then positions the pin members 18 for another round of play. The game is ended when a player reaches a predetermined level of points, i.e., one hundred.

It can be realized that the playing rules may be altered as desired, by agreement among the players, to either simplify or enhance the challenge of the game. For instance, it may be a rule that any player may omit his turn to place a weight, without penalty.

As stated previously, the game is preferably played with three support members 18. However, an alternate form of the game can be played, using one or two support members. In such case, a support member 54 is used as shown in FIG. 4. The support member 54 has a flat base portion 56, an elongated portion 58 and an upper flat portion 60. With this type of support member, one or two such members can be used to balance the board. However, the game is not as challenging, since the board is easily unbalanced and, as a result, a round of play terminates too quickly.

It will thus be seen that the objects of the invention are efficiently attained. While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been set forth for purposes of the disclosure, modifications to the disclosed embodiment of the invention, as well as other embodiments thereof, may occur to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

l. A weight balancing game apparatus, which game can be played by two or more players, comprising:

a generally opaque, flat board; one or more movable hand-holdable support members adapted for positioning under said board to support said board in a state of incipient imbalance above a generally planar surface; 7 I a plurality of movable weights adapted for positioning on said board by said players during their respective turns, wherein the object of the game is to position the weights without unbalancing said board;

and a container for said board having an open top side and at least one side of a height sufficient to block and opposing player's view of the positions of said support members.

2. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said flat board has a top surface in the form of a square, and wherein said board has a thickness of one-sixteenth to one-fourth of an inch.

3. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said container comprises a box having only its top side open and wherein the cross-sectional area of said box in a horizontal plane is square.

4. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein there are three support members which have flat bases and pointed upper portions which abut said board.

5. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said weights include V2 ounce, 1 ounce and 2 ounce weights.

6. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the top surface of said board is divided into playing sections, such that each player may place only one of said weights in a section, and wherein said sections are colored any one of four selected colors such as red, black, blue and yellow.

7. Game apparatus as in claim 6, wherein said sections are formed by dividing said board into three annular areas which are sub-divided by radial lines emanating from the center of said board so as to sub-divide the inner annular area into four inner sections, the intermediate annular area into twelve intermediate sections, the external annular area into twelve external sections, and wherein the remaining four corner sections of said board form additional playing sections.

8. Game apparatus as in claim 7, wherein said inner sections of the inner annular area are colored alternately with two colors such that opposite sections have the identical color; said intermediate sections are colored alternately with two colors, which colors are also different from the colors of said inner sections; and wherein said external sections are colored alternately with the colors of said inner and intermediate sections; wherein each section has a color different from the colors of the sections adjacent to it.

9. Game apparatus as in claim 7, wherein said four corner sections are colored with the same two colors as said inner sections, such that opposite corner sections are colored the same color, and wherein each player must place one of his weights in an unoccupied section having a different color than that played on by the preceding player.

10. Game apparatus as in claim 1, further including handle means attached to the center portion of said board, such that the board can be manually raised or lowered on said support members.

11. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the top surface of said board is divided into playing sections having game point indicia in one or more of said sections.

12. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said bottom side is provided with indicia for limiting movement of said support members.

13. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said container has a bottom side which defines said generally planar surface. 

1. A weight balancing game apparatus, which game can be played by two or more players, comprising: a generally opaque, flat board; one or more movable hand-holdable support members adapted for positioning under said board to support said board in a state of incipient imbalance above a generally planar surface; a plurality of movable weights adapted for positioning on said board by said players during their respective turns, wherein the object of the game is to position the weights without unbalancing said board; and a container for said board having an open top side and at least one side of a height sufficient to block and opposing player''s view of the positions of said support members.
 2. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said flat board has a top surface in the form of a square, and wherein said board has a thickness of one-sixteenth to one-fourth of an inch.
 3. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said container comprises a box having only its top side open and wherein the cross-sectional area of said box in a horizontal plane is square.
 4. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein there are three support members which have flat bases and pointed upper portions which abut said board.
 5. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said weights include 1/2 ounce, 1 ounce and 2 ounce weights.
 6. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the top surface of said board is divided into playing sections, such that each player may place only one of said weights in a section, and wherein said sections are colored any one of four selected colors such as red, black, blue and yellow.
 7. Game apparatus as in claim 6, wherein said sections are formed by dividing said board into three annular areas which are sub-divided by radial lines emanating from the center of said board so as to sub-divide the inner annular area into four inner sections, the intermediate annular area into twelve intermediate sections, the external annular area into twelve external sections, and wherein the remaining four corner sections of said board form additional playing sections.
 8. Game apparatus as in claim 7, wherein said inner sections of the inner annular area are colored alternately with two colors such that opposite sections have the identical color; said intermediate sections are colored alternately with two colors, which colors are also different from the colors of said inner sections; and wherein said external sections are colored alternately with the colors of said inner and intermediate sections; wherein each section has a color different from the colors of the sections adjacent to it.
 9. Game apparatus as in claim 7, wherein said four corneR sections are colored with the same two colors as said inner sections, such that opposite corner sections are colored the same color, and wherein each player must place one of his weights in an unoccupied section having a different color than that played on by the preceding player.
 10. Game apparatus as in claim 1, further including handle means attached to the center portion of said board, such that the board can be manually raised or lowered on said support members.
 11. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the top surface of said board is divided into playing sections having game point indicia in one or more of said sections.
 12. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said bottom side is provided with indicia for limiting movement of said support members.
 13. Game apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said container has a bottom side which defines said generally planar surface. 